Enhancing Integrated and Patient-Centric Care, Trauma & Orthopaedics HSC Northern Ireland

In healthcare, efficient communication and coordination among medical teams are paramount. Over the last number of years, the Trauma & Orthopaedic teams across Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care network have made a significant stride towards excellence with the implementation of RotaPal. When RotaPal was conceived, the main aim was to ensure clinicians had direct and immediate access to the team members they needed most in an emergency, at all times. Through a collaborative and cohesive approach, this now extends beyond just individual hospitals or Trusts, connecting Trauma & Orthopaedic teams across every hospital and Trust within Northern Ireland, facilitating over 5000 on-call shifts annually for the specialty alone.

Clinicians throughout the region have emphasised the impact of RotaPal not only on patient care but also on the overall strategy and operations of clinical scheduling. Mr. Andrew Crone, Registrar in Trauma & Orthopaedics, noted that “RotaPal has made rota life significantly easier. With its ability to check rotas live, both in the unit I work in and other units, it is a significant improvement from spreadsheet rotas that are not easily accessible or always up to date." This access has greatly enhanced coordination for teams, especially for those working in district general hospitals (DGHs) who need to communicate with specialist centres like The Royal Victoria Hospital or the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

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Bridging the Gap

Historically, the healthcare system has faced significant challenges in coordinating care across various hospitals. Doctors need to be connected with the right individual in the right location at the right time, but outdated processes, such as using Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, often hindered these connections. Delays from these manual methods directly led to inefficiencies. RotaPal solves this by providing a unified, real-time communication platform. Mr. Rob Espey, Trauma & Orthopaedics Registrar, praised this, saying, “Instant access and communication to colleagues on call at other sites is fundamental in being able to work well as a team. No more searching through outdated spreadsheets.”

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The Benefits for Patient Care

Immediate access to specialists is crucial in trauma cases, where rapid decisions can significantly impact outcomes. RotaPal ensures that DGHs can directly connect with specialist centers in Belfast, facilitating timely consultations and expert guidance. This streamlined communication enhances the coordination of care between generalists and specialists, creating cohesive treatment plans tailored to patient needs.

By reducing unnecessary patient transfers and allowing remote consultations, RotaPal conserves healthcare resources while sparing patients the stress of moving between facilities. Post-operative care is also enhanced, with continuous communication allowing specialists to monitor recovery and make timely adjustments to treatment plans, leading to better outcomes.

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Empowering Clinicians

For clinicians, RotaPal represents more than a tool; it marks a paradigm shift in how healthcare professionals manage communication and scheduling. The elimination of communication barriers is one of its standout features. Previously, clinicians had to navigate hospital switchboards and outdated spreadsheet rotas to identify and contact necessary personnel, but with RotaPal, these barriers are removed. “RotaPal is an integral part of my work and has been a positive change in my working life,” said Mr. Crone.

RotaPal also fosters professional collaboration and learning. Clinicians from different hospitals can easily share insights and discuss complex cases, enhancing both clinical skills and patient care. Ms. Carolyn Geddis, Consultant in Trauma & Orthopaedics, shared her experience as a rota organiser: “A rolling rota was created overnight. Our team can now easily make swaps and claim locums, we can also download a PDF format if required.”

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Facilitating Locum Shifts Across Multiple Sites

One of RotaPal’s most transformative features is its ability to simplify and streamline the claiming of locum shifts across different sites. By connecting clinicians across multiple hospitals and Trusts, RotaPal creates a large, interconnected pool of healthcare professionals that can fulfill locum shifts with ease. This is particularly beneficial in a system that regularly needs cover due to staff shortages or unexpected absences.

The platform’s real-time rota management and cross-referencing features allow clinicians to quickly identify available locum shifts at different sites and claim them instantly. As Ms. Geddis mentioned, “The team can easily make swaps or claim locums,” eliminating the need for lengthy email chains or phone calls to find cover. This direct and efficient approach enables clinicians to take on additional shifts when needed while maintaining a flexible and responsive workforce across Northern Ireland.

This functionality does more than just fill gaps. It promotes collaboration between different hospitals, as clinicians can step in to support colleagues at other locations, ensuring that no gaps in care arise due to staffing shortages. This feature is a critical advantage in an ever-changing healthcare landscape where responsiveness and flexibility are essential.

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Overcoming Previous Challenges

Before RotaPal, coordinating care across hospitals was cumbersome and inefficient. Manual processes were prone to delays and errors, often resulting in miscommunications that could negatively affect patient care. Clinicians struggled to find the right contacts, and this fragmented system led to a disjointed approach to treatment.

With RotaPal, this communication gap has been bridged. Its implementation has transformed Trauma & Orthopaedics in Northern Ireland by providing a centralised platform for real-time communication and scheduling. The result is not only improved patient care but also enhanced efficiency and collaboration among clinicians. As Ms. Geddis observed, “Customer support has been exceptional, and the app is simple to use. My only regret is the time I wasted in manually constructing and updating the rota in spreadsheet format prior to working with the  RotaPal team.”

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Future Proofing Scheduling

As Northern Ireland looks to the future, RotaPal’s collaborative success offers a model for other specialties aiming to achieve integrated and patient-centric care. Harry Eves, Chief Executive of RotaPal, reflected on the collaboration, stating, "We have relished the opportunity to work alongside the Trauma & Orthopaedics teams in Northern Ireland to deliver a piece of software that not only brings significant benefits to clinicians but also directly enhances patient care. We are proud to have developed a platform that ultimately contributes to better outcomes for patients, ensuring that the right care is delivered at the right time." 

With increasing waiting lists, there is significant scope for RotaPal to further collaborate with the Health and Social Care (HSC) network to enhance regional theatre and clinic scheduling, drawing upon the unified approach already in place.

For more information on how RotaPal could help enhance your clinical operations email hello@rotapal.com.

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